"crave eat heal" + giveaway

Annie Oliverio of Virtual Vegan Potluck and An Unrefined Vegan blog,  has finally published her long-awaited cookbook, Crave Eat Heal! This is one of the most anticipated cookbooks of 2015 and I am excited to be part of her blog tour. 

Crave Eat Heal (Amazon, B&N) is a bit different from other cookbooks out there in the sense that the chapters and the premise are unlike any I've yet come across. The book is based on satisfying cravings we all have from time to time and doing it using unprocessed, whole foods with no refined sugars and low oil. The book is hard cover with beautiful full-color photos and thick, sturdy pages. A gorgeous book to own!

Annie breaks the book into chapters titled: Carbs, Chocolate, Comfort, Cool, Creamy, Crunchy, Green, Junk, Salty, Spicy, Sweet, Tart and Warm. As you can imagine, recipes in Carbs would help to satisfy those pesky carb cravings with recipes such as "Cocoa-Cinnamon French Toast" or "Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes." 

Annie manages to whip up recipes that please our senses and appetite and are tasty and still healthful. You will find gluten-free, low-oil, unprocessed, raw and delicious dishes in this book! Many are easy to make, but all are outstanding.

Before I get into the recipes I've made from the book (so far), don't forget to snag the recipe at the end of the post from the Cool chapter, Butter Lettuce Wedges with Sunflower Seed Dressing, Pears, and Tempeh Bacon. 

At the end, there is also a giveaway for Crave Eat Heal, courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc., for one US winner and a giveaway for one international winner of the e-book, Crave Eat Heal. Outtakes. The two are separate giveaways so please enter to win the physical copy only if you are a US resident. Contest ends June 1. 

As anyone who knows me, knows that I love gyros with a passion. I love the savory protein and the creamy, tangy tzaziki sauce. When I saw Annie's version of gyro, I had to try it. And it was delicious! You can find the Tofu Gyro with Tzaziki in the Salty chapter, on page 234.

When I was craving something fresh and crunchy, I picked up Annie's book and stumbled on Chopped Vegetable Salad with Ginger-Tahini Dressing. And I was very pleasantly delighted by this easy recipe. And Annie is right: marinating the vegetables for a bit allows them to absorb the dressing even more. Find this recipe in the Crunchy chapter, page 172.

I love the Junk chapter! It's almost cheating calling it junk, though, as the recipes are still so healthful! Nevertheless, you can find recipes such as Butternut Squash Queso, Coconut-Lime Mini Doughnuts with Coconut-Lime Glaze, or this Iced Maple Latte Shake, page 210. Malty, iced coffee shake: yum!

Now for a freebie recipe from Crave Eat Heal from the Cool chapter: The recipe and photo below are by Annie Oliverio and they are courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc, Front Table Books. Make sure to catch, or catch-up on, the rest of the blog tour HERE. And if you, like me, love Annie's recipes, subscribe to her blog HERE. Annie is also on Pinterest HERE. You can add Annie to your circle on Google+ HERE.

This take on a classic salad reminds me of many family dinners eaten out at The Brown Derby: a big, crunchy wedge of lettuce topped with a creamy dressing and sprinkled with salty bacon. My version subs tempeh for bacon and adds a little sweetness with fresh pears.

Gluten-free, Raw Option, Oil-free, Quick, Easy

BUTTER LETTUCE WEDGES WITH SUNFLOWER SEED DRESSING, PEARS & TEMPEH BACON

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Pinch sea salt

1 tsp. dried chives, or 1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Salad

2 large heads butter lettuce, cut into quarters

2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced

Tempeh bacon, crumbled or chopped (exclude if going for 100% raw)

DIRECTIONS

Add the sunflower seeds through the salt in a high-speed or regular blender and process until very smooth.  Add the chives and parsley and pulse a few times to incorporate.  Set aside.

Place two butter lettuce wedges each in four bowls.  Divide the pear slices, the tempeh bacon and the dressing between the bowls.  Serve.

Total Time: 15 minutes

Suggestions:

If the dressing is too thick, add water, a little bit at at time, to get the consistency you like.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.

If you haven't entered to win "The Good Karma Diet," get to it HERE. Contest ends May 18 at midnight!

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